From Sep 01 [all month long] – The Pig-tail Series hosted by Pharmacia

Using local ingredients and infused liquors to create a cocktail selection that embraces the flavours of Limerick, Pharmacia will be hosting a limited time Pig-tail menu celebrating the heritage of Limerick food over the month of September. Combined with this, Pharmacia will host a discussion (DATE TBC) around unique cocktail and food combinations in Limerick.

From Sep 01 [running for 6 weeks] – Gin Pig Dinners at House Limerick

Pigtown Butcher’s Board, also Gin & Pinto pairing as part of the evening menu.

As part of Elemental Festival, Tom Toomey – local historian and author will give a lecture on the food history of the city – our Pigtown Roots, Ranks and Cleeves factories – their rise and downfall. This will be followed by a panel discussion with Joe Hayes of the Limerick Pork Butcher Society and Ruth Guiry, author of ‘Pigtown – A history of Limerick’s Bacon Industry. Taking place at The Gallery at the Milk Market. Admission free.

In this busy world it’s hard to find time to meet your neighbour. Why not run a neighbourhood or street pig-nic and invite everyone around to share food and friendship while tossing your spare change into 95fm’s collection for CARI, Neonatal Unit and the Children’s Ark? It’s an easy to run fun and rewarding event for all.

The Local Enterprise Office in conjunction with Innovate Limerick and the Limerick Food Group will hold an Industry Networking Seminar in the South Court Hotel, Raheen from 11am to 3pm. This event aims to provide an opportunity for food businesses in the area to meet, network and learn more about how collaboration and networking together can benefit the whole Limerick food industry. There will be a number of key industry speakers on the day who will share their own personal experiences of how food initiatives and working with other food businesses has positively impacted their business. This will be followed be a chaired Q & A session. A light lunch for attendees will also be served. Registration is now open on www.localenterprise.ie/limerick

Black pudding making demo and workshop upstairs at the Milk Market Food Pavilion.

Sep 22 Friday – CULTURE NIGHT

THE PIG PARADE

Celebrating the ‘Pig in the City’ with a parade through the streets. Puppets, pigs, music, dancing, giant balloons and masked piglets – it will be an amazing event. Come along and join in!

Cultured Pig at the Milk Market

The Milk Market will be holding Pigtown themed activities during Culture Night including cooking demos, butchery skills demos, an exhibition of photographs from Limerick Butchers, kids games, pig mask colouring competition. and a range of local street food stalls to feed revellers. Includes ‘Ancient Irish food – what did our ancestors grow, pick and catch?’ lecture and discussion by local author and ethnobotanist Theresa Storey.

A unique culinary experience, reflecting the resilience and passion of the people of Limerick, this is a pig-themed gourmet trip of Limerick restaurants and bars with a course in each premises. Visit the Limerick Strand Hotel, Absolute Hotel, Clayton Hotel and The Savoy Hotel in association with Limerick Carriage Tours… The event kicks-off from 7pm and consists of an exclusive 4-course meal, each course served at a different hotel with each Executive Chef proudly presenting a course consisting of exciting innovative Pigtown-themed locally sourced food, each course will be paired with wine. Limerick Carriage Tours have also come onboard so there’s no need to worry about travelling from one establishment to the other as they shall cart guests between each location on their beautiful horse drawn carriage. As soon as you step aboard the luxurious carriage you will be greeted by your own personal guide to show you around the many wonderful historical sites and beautiful scenery that our proud and majestic city has to offer! The weatherproof carriage comes with warm wool blankets to snuggle into. Timings and details of this unique event are as follows: Group A: Arrival At Strand Hotel at 6:15pm; Group B: Arrival At Strand Hotel at 6:45pm The Limerick Food Mile Evening Package inclusive of the 4 course dinner, wine with each course and transport to each venue costs €49 per person. As this is a unique event places are strictly limited to 20 people. For booking visit: https://sirius.eventmaster.ie/event/BGEc23c8j

Join Sharon Noonan, presenter of the Best Possible Taste radio show and podcast, on a food tour of her native Newcastle West, Co Limerick. Learn how food has played a role in the history of the town, enjoy tastings of some notable artisan food products and craft beers, attend a sushi making demonstration, visit the iconic Desmond Banqueting Hall and indulge in a lunch prepared using many of the finest ingredients from the locality. €54 per person including lunch and booking fee. Pre-booking online essential, see www.sharonnoonan.com

Sep 24 Sunday 11:00am-1:00pm – Urban Foraging Walk

You don’t need to go to the countryside to forage. Come on one of our Urban Foraging walks to discover the unexpectedly edible wild, feral and ornamental foods there are in the city and its environs. Hosted by The Green Apron. Pre-booking essential at www.thegreenapron.ie

Sep 28 Thursday – Pigtown ‘Nose to Tail’ Wine Pairing Dinner

No1 Pery Square will be hosting a gourmet evening in celebration of Limerick’s food heritage in Limerick’s historic Georgian quarter. Enjoy a 5-course tasting menu all about the pig inspired by bygone times with a twist from head chef Tim Harris. Each course will be paired with wine, artisan beer and sherry, the new wine! An evening for foodies with a passion for Limerick and all its wonderful history.

Visitors to the famous Frank McCourt Museum at Leamy House on Hartstonge Street are invited to take part in the museum’s Art Attack event – taste some fabulous Limerick ham and play ‘pin the tail on the pig’ while exploring this iconic building and its contents.

Jim O’Brien will host a visit to his farm in Ballyhahill, West Limerick where he makes his award-winning cheese. Previously a pig farmer for 20 years, Jim now puts his attention towards making a range of especially good cheeses from milk from his own herd. Come and visit the farm, see the herd and the dairy, sample some of the cheeses and hear tales of Jim’s pig farming past.

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Taking place over both September and October:

Throughout the Pigtown Series, Limerick Restaurants, Hotels and Bars will be featuring various Pigtown themed dishes and beverages, more details on our Venues page.

Pigtown for Primary Schools

Getting the children interested in our food heritage and culture is so important. We will have posters on the history and traditions of the pig in Limerick food and culture (aimed at 3rd to 6th class), pig mask template and craft ideas for the Pig Parade (for junior infants to 2nd class) and school visits, and are encouraging all primary schools in the region to become involved in the festival.

Milk Market Kitchen, the Milk Market, Saturday Mornings @11am

The autumn series of the popular Saturday Morning cooking demos in the Milk Market Kitchen will include Making Homemade Sauerkraut, Limerick-style Pulled Pork, Preserving the Harvest – All about the Apples, Cooking Wild Food, The Pig ‘from nose to tail’ and Sausage Making. The demonstrations are given by some of our talented local producers, chefs and food writers.

Filmed over a number of busy Saturday mornings from first light, the video provides an insight into the passion, pride and love with which local artisan food makers produce the simple, honest, and delicious foodstuffs which are eagerly snapped up by some 20,000 people who visit the Milk Market each week.

Telling their food stories in their own words, the traders follow in the rich tradition of superior food production in Limerick and its hinterland, some of the food producers have been around for decades, while we also witness the resurgence in high quality start-up producers in recent years. The video